Dual Drug Treatment for Alzheimer’s
The two main classes of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease currently include cholinesterase inhibitors, which increase brain acetylcholine levels, and memantine (Namenda), which is a partial blocker of glutamate receptors. Treating patients with both types of drugs in combination may help their cognitive functioning.
The brains of patients with Alzheimer’s are deficient in acetylcholine. Acetylcholinesterase breaks down acetylcholine, so the first class of Alzheimer’s drugs inhibits these esterases and makes more acetylcholine available.
Memantine works a different way. Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. Excesses of glutamate may be toxic to cells, so memantine’s ability to partially block glutamate receptors may explain the drug’s effectiveness in Alzheimer’s.
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